TMYRA Chapter 7

When He Loses His Temper, He Senses Nothing

 

“We will escort you whenever necessary, so you don’t need to worry.”

 

“I’m not worried. I’m an adult. I don’t need anyone’s protection or surveillance.”

 

Soo-ah spoke, but he didn’t listen.

 

“Let me introduce this friend here.”

 

He pointed to the rough-looking man who had spoken to Soo-ah earlier.

 

“This is Jang Ji-cheol. He will be in charge of you, Miss Moon Soo-ah, and will report everything about you to me. It seems you’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

 

Jang Ji-cheol stepped closer to Soo-ah and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

 

“Please take care of me.”

 

“As long as you don’t break the rules, he’s a decent guy. The only problem is that when he loses his temper, he senses nothing and ends up half-killing people, which can be a bit troublesome at times.”

 

Though his tone was polite, his words were mostly threats directed at Soo-ah.

 

“Don’t stray from our sight. If you simply follow my instructions, Miss Moon Soo-ah, we won’t have to meet again.”

 

He slightly lowered his head, locking eyes with Soo-ah. His face still carried a hint of youthful innocence, but his gaze was that of a predator. It flashed with a terrifying light as if he would tear her apart and devour her at any moment.

 

“Miss Moon Soo-ah, you don’t seem to like me, and frankly, I hope our connection ends here as well.”

 

With that, he turned away as if he had lost interest in her and quickly disappeared from sight.

 

***

 

The rainy season had lasted for a week. As soon as one typhoon passed, another formed and surged in.

 

The sky remained gloomy every single day, making it hard to remember the last time it was clear. The atmosphere at home was no different.

 

Since the day Ihan left for America, several gang members had been coming in and out of the house under the pretense of protecting Soo-ah.

 

Bo-kyung had been staying out for days, only showing up occasionally.

 

“Oh my, you’re all working so hard. Thanks to you, I feel completely at ease. Anyway, please take good care of our Soo-ah.”

 

After saying that, she would disappear again. Soo-ah stayed home every day. She didn’t want to go outside and risk being followed by them.

 

Perhaps because she remained quiet at home, Seo Mun-hwon had not shown himself since that day.

 

He was an unpleasant and uncomfortable man. Just facing him made her heart race for no reason. She hated that feeling and never wanted to see him again.

 

Rrrr. Rrrr.

 

As always, at exactly 1 PM, her phone rang.

 

It was a call from America.

 

Even without checking the number, she knew it was Min Ihan.

 

He called every day at the same times—morning, noon, and night.

 

She didn’t want to answer and tried to ignore it, but she could already picture what he would do if she didn’t pick up.

 

He would pester Bo-kyung, demanding to know what was wrong with Soo-ah and why she wasn’t answering. Then Bo-kyung would come home and torment her.

 

There had even been times when Bo-kyung, drunk in the middle of the day, had slapped Soo-ah and forced her to take his calls.

 

Not wanting to repeat that situation, she reluctantly reached for the answer button—but before she could press it, the ringing stopped.

 

“Haah…”

 

When did things become like this?

 

Soo-ah let out a sigh and gazed out at the rain-soaked garden, recalling the first time she met Min Ihan.

 

***

 

After the funeral of her Dad, Soo-ah sat curled up in a corner of the room. She had cried so much that no more tears would come. She hadn’t eaten breakfast or lunch, yet she didn’t feel hungry.

 

Her body was weak, and she was dizzy, but she had no desire to eat. She simply stared blankly into space. She needed to start sorting through her father’s belongings in the house, one by one, but she lacked the strength to do so.

 

If possible, she wanted to keep everything and hold on to them until the day she died.

 

Her mother was absent, but her absence wasn’t felt. Even before the divorce, Bo-kyung had preferred wandering outside to taking care of Soo-ah, locking her up at home instead.

 

Such a mother was better off gone.

 

After the divorce, Soo-ah had spent more happy moments with her father. She had drawn pictures by his side and helped him prepare for his exhibitions.

 

She had promised that one day, she would paint a wonderful picture and make her father proud—that she would follow in his footsteps and pursue art.

 

It was the summer of her sixteenth year when she made that resolution. Then, her father suddenly passed away. He had always been in poor health, but his condition deteriorated rapidly when he developed pneumonia.

 

After divorcing Bo-kyung, he painted more than usual to cover the alimony. Ignoring his illness, he continued to paint, and in the end, the untreated sickness took its toll.

 

He spent about a month in the hospital before passing away, leaving Soo-ah alone.

 

Her father had no siblings, and neither did her mother. Her grandparents had passed away early, so there weren’t many people at the funeral.

 

Even Bo-kyung didn’t show up.

 

She hadn’t contacted Soo-ah even once after the funeral, nor had she made an appearance. Then, a week later, she barged into the house.

 

“What the hell? He only left behind this one shabby house in the outskirts of Seoul? I asked a realtor, and they said it’s barely worth anything. That man is useless even in death.”

 

She barely acknowledged Soo-ah as she rummaged through the house, searching for anything of value. Looking outside, Soo-ah spotted a large foreign car parked, presumably the one Bo-kyung had driven.

 

Bo-kyung reeked of strong perfume and, dressed in flashy clothes, moved from room to room.

 

“Mom!”

 

Soo-ah called out, but Bo-kyung didn’t respond.

 

“My head is pounding because of you. If it weren’t for you, I could’ve successfully remarried while pretending to be single!”

 

She shrieked, unleashing her anger on Soo-ah as if she were the one at fault.

 

Realizing that there was nothing of monetary value in the house, Bo-kyung slammed her phone onto the table and pulled out a red lipstick from her bag, applying it thickly to her lips.

 

“What a waste of time. I’m selling this house soon. You can go live in a tiny one-room apartment.”

 

Soo-ah could no longer hold back.

 

“This house is filled with memories of Dad. There’s not a single place he hasn’t touched. The chairs, the table—Dad made them all. You can’t sell it. I won’t let you.”

 

“Hey. Who do you think you are to tell me what I can and can’t sell?”

 

Just then, Bo-kyung’s phone, which was sitting on the table, chimed with a text notification.

 

[Let’s meet at S Hotel now. I have something to discuss regarding the marriage.]

 

Bo-kyung quickly grabbed her phone.

 

“Oh my, it’s Ihan. I need to hurry. Hey, you take care of sorting out this house. Got it?”

 

She barked at Soo-ah before storming out. Glaring at the spot where Bo-kyung had disappeared, Soo-ah made up her mind. The most important things to Bo-kyung were men and marriage.

 

Her father had worked himself to death, and now she wanted to sell this house? It was unthinkable.

 

She would stop that marriage. She wouldn’t let it happen. Determined, Soo-ah set off for S Hotel, where Bo-kyung and a man named Ihan were meeting.

 

After switching between buses and subways for a long time, she finally arrived in front of the hotel.

 

As expected of a famous hotel, it was massive and grand.

 

The people coming and going through the entrance were dressed in extravagant outfits, and the cars lined up outside were all large foreign vehicles.

 

Feeling intimidated, she hunched her shoulders, but thinking of her father, she mustered up her courage. However, she didn’t know where exactly the meeting was taking place.

 

All she had seen was the name “S Hotel.” With no further information, she hesitated at the hotel entrance. Then, she spotted Bo-kyung not too far away.

 

She was glancing around as if searching for someone.

 

“He should be here by now. He said he was coming.”

 

Muttering to herself, Bo-kyung’s eyes met Soo-ah’s.

 

“What the hell! Are you insane?”

 

Bo-kyung stormed toward Soo-ah and smacked her hard on the back.

 

“Do you even know where you are? This isn’t a place for someone like you! Know your place and get lost.”

 

She flagged down a taxi, trying to shove Soo-ah inside.

 

“You! Are you trying to ruin my life again?”

 

Bo-kyung was screaming at the top of her lungs when a man approached her.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

Bo-kyung turned to see the man’s face and visibly flinched in surprise.